Laurel Rubin Farm Worker Justice Project

The Laurel Rubin Farm Worker Justice Project (www.lrfarmworkerjustice.org) supports farm workers in their efforts to enforce their human right to fair, dignified and safe working and living conditions. The Project funds law students and law-school-bound college students to work in summer internships with organizations that provide civil legal services to farm workers in Washington State. The Project also occasionally funds the work of other organizations and individuals whose work fulfills the project’s mission. The Project is named for Laurel Rubin, a devoted farm worker advocate who died in the course of her advocacy work.

Washington State has the fourth highest number of migrant & seasonal farm workers, with just under 300,000 workers and family members. Workers in the state regularly live in inadequate housing that violates safety and health standards. The average farm worker family has an income just over $17,000 a year. Farm workers are exposed to neurotoxins and pesticides which have been linked to birth defects & developmental problems. Nationally, the rate of fatal occupational injuries for farm workers is almost ten times the rate for all U.S. industries.